Muses and Divas - A series of online talks by Patrick Bade

If you wish to register for this series after 12-Aug-25, please e-mail onlinetalks@martinrandall.co.uk

These four talks explore the lives and careers for four charismatic and gifted women who made a huge impact in their time and who have continued to fascinate ever since. Alma Mahler, Sarah Bernhardt, Misia Sert and Maria Callas are the names by which they became known but to which, other than Bernhardt, they were not born. All four were feted for their beauty – indeed judged on their looks – it could be said that Bernhardt and Callas became beautiful through willpower and force of personality. Alma and Misia weaponised their sex appeal in ways which today may well seem at odds. But by doing so they were able to succeed within the framework of what was very much still a man’s world.

The personal lives of all four have been the subject of intense speculation that has sometimes threatened to eclipse their achievements. Each in her own way was creative, but perhaps more importantly they all inspired creativity in others, leaving a rich legacy of portraits and enough musical masterpieces to fill a whole series of concerts. The talks will utilise a variety of memoirs, images, recordings and even some personal documents from the author’s collection.

They take place every Tuesday from 12 August to 2 September 2025 at 4.30pm (London) and, including Q&A, will last just under an hour. They are available for viewing for eight weeks after the last episode is streamed (until 28th October 2025).